How to pronounce the z sound

The z sound is voiced (the vocal cords vibrate during its production), and is the counterpart to the unvoiced s
sound.
To create the z sound, the front of the tongue is placed close to the tooth ridge. The tip of the tongue should
be close to the upper backside of the top front teeth. The tongue is kept tense as air is pushed between a
small groove along the center of the tip of the tongue and the front of the tooth ridge. The front sides of the
tongue touch the side teeth toward the front of the mouth. The lips are held slightly tense during the sound.
This sound is a continuous consonant, meaning that it should be capable of being produced for a few seconds
with even and smooth pronunciation for the entire duration.
Common z sound spellings





1]: s spelling
The letter s is more likely to be pronounced as a z sound than an s sound when it occurs between vowel
sounds within a word. If the letter s is part of a prefix (such as the word disability), this is less likely to be true.
At the end of a word the letters s or se are equally likely to be pronounced as an s sound or a z sound. It is
important to note the correct pronunciation at the time of learning new vocabulary with these
spellings.
[2]: x spelling
Students must realize that the letter x can be pronounced as k sound +s sound or as g sound + z sound. A
combination of syllable stress and surrounding sounds determine the correct letter x pronunciation.
The z sound in suffixes
-es
boys
cars
finishes
-ise/-ize
emphasize
exercise
improvise
-ism
tourism
journalism
activism


z

zoo
dozen
quiz

s


visit
his
because


x


exit
example
anxiety

[3]: -s/-es suffix
Whether the -s/-es suffix is pronounced with a z sound or with an s sound depends on the final sound before
the suffix.
Non-phonetic z sound words
The z sound is often overlooked in the pronunciation of high-frequency words that end in the letters s or se.
Although the following high-frequency words are not non-phonetic, their z sound pronunciation should be
memorized, as these words are frequently mispronounced by ESL/ELL students.
The z sound is underlined in the following words:
as
is
his
those
because


Phrases
Zip your coat
Zipper stuck
Zillion animals

Sentences
The rose has a zillion thorns.
The bus is slowly moving down the street.
The mouse is sleeping in the house

Tongue twister
How much Zen would a Zen master master
If Zen master could master all the Zen?
A Zen master would master all the Zen he could
master
If a Zen master should master all the Zen














THE
CONSONANT
SOUND / z /

REPORTERS:
ALONICA MAE L. SANTANDER
SUNSHINE L. HALLARA
1
ST
YEAR- BEED

REFERENCES:
http://www.alphadictionary.com/fun/tongue-twisters/english_tongue_twisters.html
http://www.pronuncian.com/Lessons/Default.aspx?Lesson=130
https://sites.google.com/site/helpforclubviewstudents/-s-sound-in-sentences
http://www.cm201u.org/DocumentCenter/View/35948